Director, Enterprise Data Architect

COMPANY:

At BioCryst, we share a deep commitment to improving the lives of people living with complement-mediated and other rare diseases. For over three decades we’ve been guided by our passion for not settling for “ordinary” in our quest to develop novel medicines. We leverage our expertise in structure-guided drug design to develop first-in-class or best-in-class oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics, led by the efforts of our team of expert scientists in our Discovery Center of Excellence in Birmingham, Alabama. Our global headquarters is in Durham, North Carolina, our European headquarters is in Dublin, Ireland and our employees span the globe across sites in multiple countries. We are proud of our culture of engagement and accountability that rewards people for innovative thinking and achievement of key objectives. For more information, please visit our website at www.biocryst.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

JOB SUMMARY:

BioCryst is a fast-growing pharmaceutical company with an immediate opening for an experienced Director Enterprise Data Architect who can effectively support and manage the company’s technology strategy and daily operations of the company’s data architecture. The Director Enterprise Data Architect primarily participates in the project-drive activities to capture business needs, processes, requirements, use cases, project plans, and related documentation and specifications  The Director Enterprise Data Architect works effectively with business and technical resources, bringing an enterprise, cross-functional perspective to the project team(s), resulting in unified business requirements and streamlined processes that meet BioCryst’s corporate goals and initiatives.  The Director Enterprise Data Architect may also make significant contributions to team effectiveness by improving the methodology, tools, and/or internal processes. #LI-Remote

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and operationalize governance frameworks (e.g. FAIR model), integrating automated mechanisms for data quality assurance and real-time monitoring.
• Adapt data governance policies to meet industry-specific regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA, GDPR, or FDA standards, particularly in Life Sciences and Healthcare industries.
• Ensure ethical and responsible use of data, particularly in AI-driven initiatives, aligning with organizational values and regulatory standards.
• Manage MSPs supporting Boomi and Flow platforms, ensuring expertise in designing, optimizing, and maintaining workflows while adhering to SLAs, governance, security, and compliance standards. Conduct performance reviews to drive improvements and align support with business goals.
• Design and develop end-to-end data pipelines and ETL processes, leveraging scripting (e.g., Python, PowerShell) or big data frameworks (e.g., Spark) to ensure data integrity and system efficiency.
• Perform hands-on troubleshooting, optimization, and performance tuning of data workflows, databases, and infrastructure to ensure high availability and minimal downtime.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines for data transformations and integrations, enforcing best practices in version control, testing, and deployment.
• Oversee data ingestion from various sources, ensuring data quality through automated validation, cleansing, and error handling mechanisms.
• Collaborate with end-users to understand their needs and enhance the usability of data management and visualization tools.
• Promote user adoption of data tools through training, support, and continuous feedback loops to improve user experience.
• Lead change management efforts to ensure smooth implementation and acceptance of new tools, processes, and governance frameworks.
• Serve as the lead administrator and coordinator for enterprise data tools, such as ETL platforms, data storage systems, and visualization tools like Power BI.
• Lead efforts to identify, select, and implement cutting-edge tools, such as cloud-based platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Snowflake) and data transformation technologies like Databricks.
• Drive innovation by identifying trends and emerging technologies in data management and continuously improving tools and methodologies.
• Facilitate interdepartmental collaboration to establish unified data practices and ensure shared understanding of data strategies across the organization.
• Partner with IT and business units to discover requirements underlying feature requests and align technical solutions with business goals.
• Develop, monitor, and analyze KPIs to measure the effectiveness of data management processes and tools.
• Identify trends, areas for improvement, and optimization opportunities through KPI analysis.
• Quantify and communicate the ROI of data initiatives to stakeholders, showcasing cost savings, efficiency improvements, or revenue impacts.
• Establish robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans for enterprise data systems, minimizing downtime and data loss.
• Oversee and manage relationships with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) that support the enterprise data infrastructure, ensuring they meet performance standards and contractual obligations.
• Evaluate and optimize MSP services to align with evolving organizational needs, ensuring cost-effective and efficient delivery of data management and support functions.
• Collaborate with MSPs to implement innovative solutions and ensure compliance with organizational policies and industry standards.
• Lead and develop a team of data professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Provide or coordinate support and training on data management tools and concepts to enhance team and organizational capabilities.
• All other duties assigned.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in a technology discipline or closely related field with an emphasis in information technology, and a minimum of 8 years of professional experience as a data architect OR an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job.
• A minimum of 8 years’ experience working with data management and architecture principles, tools, and solutions.
• Experience and basic understanding of AI-related data skills such as machine learning, python, and various data-related AI modules within the python eco-system.
• Proven expertise in cloud ecosystems such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, with experience using platforms like Snowflake, Databricks, or other modern data tools.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Power BI and other visualization tools.
• Experience operationalizing data governance policies and automating enforcement mechanisms.
• Background in Life Sciences and/or Healthcare industries is a plus, particularly with regulatory compliance (HIPAA, GDPR, FDA).
• Strong analytical, written, listening, and oral communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Expertise in structured analysis and design methodologies, including data modeling, data integration, and database architecture projects.
• Familiarity with emerging data technologies, trends, and best practices.
• Demonstrated success with systems integration efforts, process optimization, and innovation in data management.
• Ability to build relationships across departments and facilitate collaboration on data initiatives.
• Proven leadership experience with an emphasis on fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Capacity to manage budgets for data projects and ensure cost-effective resource allocation.

The statements in this position description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification.  They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The manager may assign additional responsibilities and assignments from time to time.

BioCryst is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, Veterans status, disability and/or other protected class characteristics. Additionally, BioCryst is committed to achieving its business objectives in compliance with all federal, state and local law.